Saaree Review

Staying hooked to social platforms can strain friendships, fostering jealousy and insecurity. Constant comparisons to curated posts may breed resentment and feelings of inadequacy. Real-life interactions often take a backseat to virtual validation, weakening emotional bonds. Likes and followers are often prioritised over genuine conversations. In some cases, individuals may develop unhealthy obsessions or fantasies about others on platforms like Instagram - without the latter's knowledge. Such obsession can turn possessive and escalate dangerously, leading to crimes like stalking, housebreaking, kidnapping, or even murder.

Saaree, written by Ram Gopal Varma, explores these dark aspects of social media obsession. However, while the concept is novel and the message important, it appears to have been lost in translation.

Aaradhya Devi (Aaradhya Devi) is always hooked to the social media and lives life on her own terms. Kittu (Satya Yadu), a nature photographer, while pursuing a bird to capture on his camera, accidentally photographs Aaradhya in a saree. At first glance, he becomes obsessed with her and begins to stalk her. He finds her name and other personal details, secretly follows her offline and on Instagram, takes her pictures, and persistently messages her requesting a photoshoot.

Eventually, Aaradhya reciprocates his interest and agrees. However, her brother Raj (Sahil Sambhyal) grows suspicious of Kittu's behaviour and advises her to sever all ties with the photographer. But Kittu can't take no for an answer. Delusional and convinced that Aaradhya loves him, he becomes dangerously obsessed and does the unthinkable.

Apart from writing the screenplay, Ramu also delivers a monologue on social media - somewhat like the opening of this review - before the film begins. And, to his credit, he articulates the idea far better than I did. However, beyond that point, the movie takes a nosedive.

This movie is so bad, it firmly belongs in the league of Aag-like disasters. Everything about it is subpar. Ramu's writing feels lazy. Debutant Giri Krishna Kamal's direction misfires in almost every scene. Anand Raag's background score is painfully monotonous - it feels like a looped noise track rather than music. Siddhan Sabari's cinematography is jarring, resembling handheld handycam footage rather than the output of a professional movie camera. Rajesh Perampally's editing is downright appalling, riddled with repetitive scenes, unnecessary flashbacks and excessive extreme close-ups that wear out both your patience and your eyes. And lastly, there is almost no lip-sync in any of the songs. In short, the execution is so poor that, barring Ramu who at least has a body of work to fall back on, most of the crew may struggle to land another project after this.

The acting is mostly amateurish. The cast either barely acts or goes completely over the top. That said, Aaradhya - like many of Ramu's past discoveries - looks stunning, delivers a bold performance and holds a strong screen presence. Veteran actors Kalpalatha and Darbha Appaji are convincing as Aaradhya's parents, but unfortunately, they have very limited screen time.

The only real takeaway is Aaradhya (cast by Ramu himself), who now joins the list of his muses after Sridevi, Urmila Matondkar, Antara Mali, Nisha Kothari and Naina Ganguly. For most of the film, the makers seem more interested in titillating the audience, using every voyeuristic camera trick in the book on her. You may not like the movie, but Aaradhya will linger in your mind long after the credits roll, or maybe even for life.

To sum Saaree up, the first half is voyeuristic, the second half is violent, and both are badly executed. Except for getting an A from the CBFC, neither half serves any purpose. It is best to forget that this movie was ever released. If you're still craving a violent romantic thriller, you're better off watching Anjaam for free on YouTube.